Innes continued to correspond with Darwin after 1869 when Innes moved to take up an inherited estate at Milton Brodie, Forres in Scotland, and changed his name to reflect his position as chief of the Brodies of the Milton branch of Clan Brodie.
Leanchoil Hospital was built with funds donated from Lord Strathcona in 1892 to serve the population of his native Forres and the surrounding area.
By the 1920s, the upkeep of such a major collection was too much for a private body, and, with an endowment of £100,000 provided by Sir Alexander Grant of Forres, the library's contents were presented to the nation.